The Object -

This piece is made of a white earthenware ceramic with a
clear glaze, and a black transfer printing on both sides. While only a fragment
of the original cup was recovered, the design is visible.The exterior pictures two women and the
inside features a floral design.

Figure 1:
utside of Tea Cup

The object was found in a layer with many other objects
dating to the 18th century.However, the dress that the ladies are wearing is of a later time
period, and transfer printing did not become popular until about 1820.These inconsistencies led to questions.How could this piece have found its way into
the ground before it was even made?The
answer is that it didn’t.There was a
fire on the street where the George Read II House is located in 1824.After this fire, the soils were mixed and
redeposited to help level out the ground after the burned house next to the
Reads had been destroyed.This piece
was then mixed in with soil containing the older objects.

This all means that the object was probably produced
between 1820 and 1824.Most of transfer
printed ceramics, such as this piece, were produced in Staffordshire,
England.Blue images were printed at
first and later black and other colors were introduced.Therefore, this piece was most likely made
closer to 1824 because of its black color.

Why was it there? -

In an article in 1825, a woman named Maria Edgewood said,
“it is surprising how much children learn from their playthings when the habit
of reflection is associated with amusement.”

By the early 1800’s, different toys were designed for boys
or girls.They were considered tools
for teaching children their behaviors in society and how to act as adults.Tea was an integral part of female behavior
during this time.Miniature tea sets
could teach little girls this important social activity.And, in 1824, there were four little girls
living at the Read House.

In 1850, in Godey’s Ladies Book, a popular woman’s
magazine, an author wrote that “each sex has a use in society particularly its
own.A boy takes the hammer, the whip
or any other plaything that calls for strength and action while the girl, as
natural, busies herself with her doll or cups and saucers.”This quote seems to sum up the function of
toys.